Rosemary Cheese Bites

I’m taking some time off to be with my family for a little while. The following recipe is written by Carrie of La Pomme de Portland. Welcome, Carrie!

When you live in a climate that could be comparable to the rain forests of the Amazon…minus the heat…and well, minus the sun…you get used to the rain.

You get used to you and everything around you being a bit damp. The lawn a bit soggy. The flower beds a bit squishy. You can’t worry about a fine mist touching down lightly on your hair. You don’t bother with an umbrella unless there’s a downpour.

And even if there is a downpour, you still won’t pick your children up from the bus stop no matter how much they complain. “Use your umbrella,” you say matter-of-factly to them. “You live in Oregon.” Of course they don’t and arrive home after the 5 minute walk…drenched.

And you know that no matter what the calendar says or what the weather is like in the rest of the world, it will rain here the second weekend of June. The date of your city’s annual Rose Festival parade. And you know that the rain will continue until after the Fourth of July because, as everyone knows, summer never really starts here until the fifth of July.

But somehow, despite the rain, the days are longer. The sky a little brighter. The school year is coming to an end. The homework and activity wheels are winding down. And the chorus of birds wake you now at five a.m. instead of seven. There are petunias in your window boxes. Your toes are painted pink and you wear your sandals without worrying about getting your feet wet.

All of these signs of summer give you pause to think of your friends. Those incredible women you are fortunate enough to have in your life. Those friends whom you haven’t seen much of throughout the cold, rainy season and the frantic pace of the school year.

And you think, “Yes, I’ll gather them together. Maybe on a Sunday afternoon. I’ll serve them little rosemary cheese bites with a dollop of goat cheese…topped with a Marcona almond and a drop of honey or maybe a scoop of pepper jelly. There will be a bowl of fresh, luscious strawberries. A little plate of dark chocolate caramels with sea salt. And glasses of sparkling water complete with a slice of lemon.”

The menu won’t be extensive but it will be enough. Enough to tell them thank you. Thank you for all they add to your life. Their generosity and support with which you could not do without. And huddled there under the deck umbrella, you’ll smile to yourself, grateful you could do this…for them.

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine your flour, rosemary, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Then in the bowl of a food processor, add your butter and your cheeses. Process a few times or until the mixture comes together and starts to form little pea-sized chunks.

Pour in your flour mixture and process again until the ingredients come together and start to look like a coarse meal.

Turn out the whole mixture onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to bring it all together to form a ball. Divide the ball into two sections. Carefully, roll each section out to form a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about 9-10 inches long. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to a day. Even better, bake one batch now and freeze the other batch of dough for up to 6 months and save for another day.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while your dough is chilling.

Once properly chilled, take your log of dough and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat liner and bake for 14-16 minutes.

While the crackers are baking, you can let your imagination go wild with topping ideas. Of course, these crackers are delicious plain but since you really want to thank your friends for being such amazing people why not jazz them up a bit?

Topping Ideas

A slathering of goat cheese topped with a Marcona almond and a drop of honey

A slathering of goat cheese topped with a little scoop of pepper jelly or any other jelly you may have on hand and love.

Little slices of cucumber and salami

A slathering of hummus and a slice of cucumber

A bit of jarred marinara sauce and a grilled prawn

Sliced fresh tomatoes and a scoop of caramelized onions

Sliced fresh tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and a basil leaf

About the Author:

From her hometown of Portland, Oregon, Carrie Minns publishes her weekly musings about the mingling of food, family and life at La Pomme de Portland.

In that creative space, she explores the intersecting of her role as mother of three, her desire to prepare fresh, seasonal food for her family and where all of this takes her as she navigates her way through life.

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16 comments

These taste delicious, but the comments about the texture are spot on (I wish I’d read the comments before making the crackers!). If I make them again, I’ll put in 2 cups flour and add a little if needed. Dough like this shouldn’t be worked too much or it gets tough. I added half and half to make this batch workable.

I did as Laura did. You really have to work the butter until it softens up in the flour. I also tried using plastic wrap to work it into the log shape. Still a challenge. But they were delicious!!!

As the poster above said….it’s like rolling sand. I formed them into a ball and stuck them in the fridge. No way I could get them log shaped. Guess I need to get that butter softened more. I’ll let you know. Headed back to the kitchen to see how I can make this work.

I have made these twice, and they are so unbelievably addictive. One question, though. I have the hardest time rolling the dough into a log and later cutting it. It’s like trying to roll sand! The only way I can make it work is to really knead the butter into the dough so that it gets a bit bit melted and holds it together, but the recipe says to keep the butter cold. They taste great either way, I’m just wondering if I am doing something wrong/if there is an easier way to do this that does not result in me yelling at inanimate objects. !

Ps, my favorite way to eat these is goat cheese + raspberry jam. I could eat the whole batch if I wanted to

These look and sound delicious!

These look absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to try these crackers!

I made this last weekend for a BBQ we hosted at home. They were a great big hit with everybody! I used the various topping suggestions and found the big favorite was cream cheese with hot pepper jelly. These were easy and delicious. I couldn’t believe how cheesy they tasted. Thanks so much for the great recipe.